Boxscore Breakdown: The Unbeatable Heat are 0-1

Below are some statistical observations that you might not have seen yet from the C’s opener last night (big thanks to HOOPDATA):

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* – Miami shot just .365 from the floor. Only six times last regular season did an opponent shoot .365 or worse and the Celtics went 6-0 in those games. In fact, they’ve won each of the last 17 times that an opponent has shot that poorly at Boston, dating back to November, 2007.

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* – Boston was much more effective on the offensive boards as the Celtics were credited with eight offensive rebounds and 11 “second chance” points (1.4 per offensive board). Miami actually had more offensive rebounds than Boston (11) but managed just five second chance points (0.5 points per).

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* – Boston got to the rim more often, taking 38 percent of their shots from point blank, compared to Miami’s 30 percent. What’s more, Boston converted on 61 percent of those chances while Miami came in at just 55 percent. For the Celtics, Davis and Daniels combined for a 7-for-7 performance at the rim. The rest of the team combined to hit 9-for-19 (47 percent).

* – If we look at all shots taken from more than 10 feet out, it’s probably best to compare the teams and players using “points per shot taken”, since three-pointers are more valuable when made (thanks, Captain Obvious).

Anyway, Boston took 33 of their 69 total shots from outside 10 feet (48 percent) and averaged a solid 1.03 points per shot. Meanwhile, a whopping 62 percent of Miami’s shots were from outside and their points per shot was a much less-solid 0.83. That comes out to 0.54 pps on two pointers outside of 10 feet and 1.20 pps on threes.

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* – Boston drained 8-of-16 threes, the 32nd time (including playoffs) that they’ve hit 50 percent or better while attempting 15 or more treys since the start of the 2008-09 season. They’re 29-3 in those games. It was just the 10th time since the start of last season (including playoffs) that the Celtics and their opponent each made at least eight three-pointers. The C’s went 5-4 in those last season.

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* – The 69 shots taken by the Celtics was quite a low total. Last season (again, including playoffs) they managed 69 or fewer shots at the Garden just twice. It was Boston’s lowest shooting percentage (.464) in a game where they took 69 or fewer shots since May 6, 2008, when they shot .426 on 68 shots in a 76-72 playoff win against… Lebron James and the Cavaliers.

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Finally, I thought I’d pass along this tidbit that I saw on twitter (via @JonCouture): The over/under for the Heat’s lowest single game point total of the season was set at 81.5 points. So if you took the under, you’ve already won your bet after just one game!